The Swedish Alpaca Show in Tenhult 2011

We decided in “the last minute” to visit Sweden this weekend and their alpaca show in Tenhult, just outside Jönköping in the south of Sweden. There were a lot of registered attendants to the show, with many exciting alpacas to watch, and it was a good opportunity to say hello to people we know and don’t know at the same time

Disclaimer: This is by no means a complete summary of the show, and our list of results is definately unofficial. We look forward to a complete list the Swedish Alpaca Associations website.

A long drive brought us to Jönköping. Because they advertised on the association’s website we opted for the Huskvarna Hotell & Vandrarhem and got the last room, but when we arrived we discovered it wasn’t really a hotel (no bathroom, toilet, TV or internet access), so we moved to a real hotel down town, Clarion. They took great care of us for a couple of nights. Recommended!

The show started Saturday and we got there early to get a chat with the exhibitors before the show. Österlen Alpacka have become partners with the largest suri breeder in New Zealand, and together with other breeders have increased the number of suris in Sweden considerably. Great!

Picture 1: An overview of the exhibition hall.

Österlen Alpacka dominated the show and took first place and Champion in nearly every class they attended. They ended up with 7 Champion titles and the Supreme Champion in addition to many placings. Congrats to Ann Marie and Paul in Österlen Alpacka!

Picture 2: Paul shows off Sir Lancelot, winner of Supreme Champion

Our big moment was the Champion title for Österlen Alpackas K’anchay, a son of our Corazon He got plenty of pretty words from Liz Barlow and is really a beautiful alpaca. Great structure, lots of fleece, fine all the way from top to bottom and even under the belly, great conformation and a wonderful golden colour. He is a beauty we hope to see more of in the show ring.

But Österlen Alpacka didn’t take all the prizes. Maya Alpacka, Ångermanna Alpacka, Kusipaca Alpacka and Nybo Alpacka, for instance, took Champion titles and many great placings. Sofia and Peter Lejon took first and third places with their Daphne and Cleopatra. We congratulate you all!

Picture 5: Maya Alpacka takes first place

Picture 6: The speaker was really good and kept the audience informed with interviews and information tidbits

Picture 7: From the brown class

Picture 8: From the Junior Handling class. Cuties!

Picture 9: Our Yorkshire Terrier Huldra attended the show as well! By the Swedes she was called a “Norwegian pitbull”, but she just wagged her tail and got excited with every new person who wanted to say hello!

Picture 10: Huldra keeps warm inside Ninas alpaca jacket

Picture 11: Our black boy Tilt Fandango is the son of Merlin, another macho from Österlen Alpacka that won his class

The show was nicely run by a core group of people that worked hard all day. Once we saw Peter Lejon, a Pen Steward, look in two directions before speeding off to the right, but otherwise everything was run without a hitch. The Pen Stewards had a lot to do, as bad lighting caused some changes in the classes during the show. Madeleine seemed to have everything in control from the jury booth, while the helpers outside ran back and forth. We didn’t notice any delays worth mentioning.

Video: This video shows Paul of Österlen Alpacka parading Sir Lancelot after his Supreme Champin win. Notice the jacket of Ann Marie. It’s the jacket she bought from us for her husband Paul, but kept for herself for the coldest of days. It is the same jacket that Nina wears in a previous picture The jacket is available from our webshop, of course!

Again: Congratulations to the Swedish Alpaca Association for a well run show, and to all participants and winners. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hope to be back again next time!

First day of Easter?

Nice and warm today! +2C at least. A nice Sun. All the alpacas enjoyed the Sun with half closed eyes and hay in their mouths. Corazon did it while watching the ladies and obviously dreamt about Spring. The cats just watched the surroundings while being heated by the Suns rays. And Huldra got some energy out with a little running in the sunlight